Chapter 16

“What do you mean?” Charlotte asked him, finally settling on confusion.

“I asked you to marry me because you have just as much as I have to lose if the truth behind this arrangement gets out. We’ve both been at the receiving end of being betrayed so right now, you, like me, will want to do this right so we can get what we want without hurting anyone,” he said, “or soiling your name in the process.”

She turned away. His words did not relieve her. He chose her particularly because of who she was and what she would stand to lose if she tried to turn against him. He chose her because he believed she wasn’t a trouble-maker, one who would end up becoming greedy and suing him for everything he had. He knew she was afraid of what everyone else thought of her and was willing to use it to his advantage. He hadn’t said those words precisely, but it was easy to deduce the hidden meaning behind them.

Charlotte hated how disappointed she felt. She knew what she was getting into when she agreed to